First ever pig lung transplant works in human for nine days - op could ‘alleviate current organ shortage’

A PIG lung has been transplanted into a human for the first time.

The “milestone” surgery, carried out by scientists in China, could one day help tackle the global shortage of donor organs, experts say.

The operation was performed on a 39-year-old brain-dead patient back in May 2024.

This meant no one was put at risk while experts studied how long the animal organ would survive inside the body.

The lung was from a pig specially bred and altered six times to make its organs more human-friendly.

It was transplanted at Guangzhou Medical University and stayed alive for nine days, according to a summary of the procedure published in Nature Medicine .

But within 24 hours, there was swelling and signs of rejection later in the week.

Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, director of Spain’s National Tra